Dr. Laura Cesaroni is the Clinical Director of FERN in Toronto. FERN stands for Family Education Resource Network. They assist parents, grandparents, and teachers who require specialized resources for teaching, managing, and parenting children who experience challenges. Laura saw a number of children in her practice that were dysregulated and started seeking out effective strategies to deal with big behaviors. Self-regulation is all about understanding stress and the importance of relationships. Over the last several years, Laura has been facilitating courses around self-reg at FERN, and one of them focuses strictly on parents.

The goal of self-regulation is restoration. Stress impacts people of all ages, and how people restore themselves varies greatly amongst different individuals. We’re in a time full of stressors we can’t control or eliminate. However, we can learn to manage, understand, and uncover them. Stress can be high in families when going through the diagnostic process. Recognizing that stress early on is key and it’s important to provide as much support to parents and clients as possible.

What’s Inside:

• Why stress adds a layer to treating behavioral issues. 
• How self-regulation can help clinicians and therapists.
• Main stressors for parents and related maladaptive behaviors.

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FERN on Instagram

Today, we cover all things related to staff hiring and training. When hiring, sometimes personality means more than what’s on a resume or how many years of experience a person has. How someone presents themselves and how prepared they are going a long way. Asking the right questions in an interview is key. When interviewing for a new job, try your best to let your personality shine through. As an interviewer, having a candidate interact with a potential student could uncover valuable information on how successful they’d be in the real position. 

Staff training is super important because it sets the tone for employee success and influences the quality of ABA services they provide. The BST model is very helpful for training new staff and getting them up to speed. Spending the first week or two in observation mode coupled with explanations gives new employees a foundation before they jump into the role. In addition to training on day-to-day duties, it’s important for staff to become acclimated to the organization’s culture. Holding regular training for all employees helps reinforce company principles so everyone stays on the same page.

What’s Inside:

• What to focus on when interviewing for a job and what to avoid.
• Tips for dressing for an interview.
• Examples of hands-on staff training.
• Why it’s important to have recurring training for existing employees.

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How To ABA Staff Training Modules

We’re answering another question from the community regarding our opinions on ACT and AIM. ACT stands for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. It’s a branch of behavioral psychology that’s been adopted by the field of ABA. AIM is an acronym for Accept, Identify, Move, which is an ABA curriculum that’s based on the principles of ACT. We’re no experts on these modalities, but we’ve used them in the field and have encountered them in training and at conferences. We discuss the ACT Values Matrix and how it can be applied in practice.

ABA doesn’t always answer all our questions as practitioners. It’s important to always expand what we offer, so adding these tools to our toolbox can be valuable. Taking a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work, and sometimes uncovering internal motivations is highly beneficial. ACT and AIM allow ABA professionals to go deeper and see what’s driving a client beyond external factors. Exploring clients’ values can help you develop better treatment plans.

What’s Inside:

• The difference between ACT and AIM.
• How to use the ACT Values Matrix.
• Types of clients that are best suited for ACT and AIM.

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We received a question from a member on echolalia and scripting and wanted to share our thoughts in this episode. They were wondering if there were any practical tips to help reduce scrolling responses, as their current treatment methods weren’t working. First, it’s important to identify if the behavior is associated with specific operants. Therapist responses are important to note as well. With imitation, if we’re not doing enough mixing and varying, the student may resort to the one action they’re most comfortable with. When we add variety, the student is forced to look and imitate, reducing the scrolling.

To prevent scrolling, we typically start with a set of two or three labels or actions at a time. With error correction in verbal scrolling or echolalia, reduce the number of targets until the child masters a few before moving on. Age is also an important factor, as many young mainstream children don’t have a lot of intraverbals either. We cover the two reasons echolalia happens and how we can prevent and treat it. It all comes down to good teaching, considering the child’s skills, using the right error correction procedures. 

What’s Inside:

• How to address echolalia and scrolling with students.
• How to use error correction procedures.
• Why echolalia happens and how to treat it. 

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One of our members came to us for advice on how to address separation anxiety with a client. The anxiety turns aggressive while the mother is leaving, but then subsides and the session can continue normally. The data they collected indicated that the problem was attention maintained, but the emotional component seems very compelling.

We discuss similar situations we’ve encountered in our own practices. In one example, the parents were phased out gradually until the child was comfortable. The “rip the band-aid” approach or withholding reinforcement strategies don’t always work when there’s an emotional component. Also, having parents present during therapy can be very beneficial. You’ll also get to learn what makes the child tick so you can find a reinforcer that will pair them with you.

What’s Inside:

• How to deal with a child with separation anxiety.
• Strategies to address the issue with the emotional component in mind. 
• Why parental input is important.

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Leticia Moreno is the Clinical Director and CEO of Within Me Therapy in Maryland. Before becoming a BCBA, she was a special education teacher working in an early intervention setting. Her aunt introduced her to ABA, inspiring her to blend it with early learning in her own practice. She works to incorporate the natural environment into her treatment strategies and helps parents continue the learning outside of the classroom. Leticia uses a coaching model to work with parents instead of a direct approach, which encourages buy in and builds rapport. 

Leticia also works with underserviced populations, providing families with resources, especially in the case of a new diagnosis. She also works with Spanish-speaking families and strives to make ABA information accessible so that they can understand it beyond a language barrier. It’s not always easy to incorporate the natural environment into teaching. Leticia recommends having a strong pairing with a child to make it work. Having instructional control sets you up for success in the natural environment. Following the child’s lead in terms of preferences is also a prerequisite. When you’re just starting out as a new BCBA, it’s important to manage your thoughts. Having a positive mindset and living in the moment not only helps you be a better practitioner, but it also helps you achieve your own personal goals.

What’s Inside:

• How Leticia collaborates with parents to reinforce learning outside the classroom.
• Why staff training is a focus within Leticia’s organization.
• Tips on natural environment teaching.
• Why mindset is important, both professionally and personally.
  
  

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Within Me Therapy
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Within Me Therapy on Facebook

Today, we’re discussing contingent and non-contingent reinforcement, including the difference between the two and how to know which one to use. Reinforcement is a huge focus as an ABA practitioner. It can also be a slippery slope. When all reinforcement becomes contingent, a child can feel like they have to earn everything.

Parents often get confused with the two types of reinforcement as well. It’s helpful to always keep the difference between contingent and non-contingent in our heads so we can let kids know what they should and shouldn’t be expected to earn. As adults, we have plenty of non-contingent rewards in our lives – like that glass of wine or chocolate after a long day. Kids should have them as well and they’re essential for their well-being. When setting up contingent reinforcement, make sure you’re staying consistent.

What’s Inside:

• How and why the two types of reinforcement become confusing.
• The difference between contingent and non-contingent reinforcement.
• Why it’s beneficial for kids to have plenty of non-contingent opportunities.

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Today, we’re discussing behavior, more specifically, how to develop a functional behavior plan (FBA) and assessment. While behaviors often seem random, there’s always a reason behind them. A good FBA helps you figure out what those reasons are so you can replace undesired behavior with new skills. Many times, a behavior is learned because, at some point, a child realized they can use it to get what they want. It’s never because they want to misbehave on purpose.

Before you get started with an FBA, it’s important to determine the behavior and consider its nature. Sometimes there are medical reasons or changes in habits that are the cause. When defining behavior, be specific as possible. Measuring the behavior uncovers more information for you to work with and gives you a good baseline before intervening. Once you determine the function, you can then move towards developing a plan of action.

What’s Inside:

• Why behavior isn’t random and how to uncover the reasons.
• What to assess before creating an FBA.
• The 5 steps to creating a successful FBA.

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Part three of our “sneak peek” series showcases more from our monthly mentorship meetings. In this session, we share our thoughts on using timers for transition periods. We also share resources on addressing challenging behaviors around tolerating peers. To wrap up, we discuss working with the PECS system.

This series has been loaded with great tips and insights and we’re looking forward to doing more of these! We love being able to brainstorm and problem solve with our community, which includes some of the most intelligent, supportive individuals.

You can also be a part of this monthly mentorship meetings and we guarantee these will be very helpful to you whether you’re a parent, carer or educator. For more information on becoming a member so you can join us on the next call, head to our website by clicking the link below.   

What’s Inside:

• Thoughts around using timers for transitions.
• Resources for dealing with clients who have trouble tolerating peers.
• How to assess if working with PECS is right for your client and how to use it.
  
  

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Welcome to Part 2 of our “sneak peek” series where we give you a behind-the-scenes look into our monthly mentorship meetings. Every month, members of the How To ABA community get together to discuss what’s going on in the field. It’s a great place to share resources and connect with other professionals.

In this second session, we’ll cover techniques to help kids tolerate losing, treating oppositional behavior, and different assessment tools for social skills. We break down our strategies and share insights, such as reinforcement, that will help you with your students or kids. There are a lot of gold nuggets in this part and we’re so excited to be able to share them with you!

Want to join us on our next call? Head to our website by clicking the link below to become an official member!

What’s Inside:

• How to teach a child to tolerate losing.
• Strategies for working with oppositional behavior.
• Assessment tools for social skills.

Mentioned In This Episode:

HowToABA.com/join
How to ABA on YouTube
Find us on Facebook
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